S.O.S!!! 5r55s "CLUNK" lost 3rd gear!?!?!? Long way from home

[bigjoncoop]

I've got a 2007 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0 I believe it has a 5r55s transmission.

Just now as it was shifting into third gear, I heard a clunk or clang and it just completely lost 3rd gear!!!

Ever since I bought the vehicle it's had an issue going into third gear and it would slip a little bit, but if you feathered the gas just right it would go into it no problem. The OBD2 info pointed to a bad solenoid B in the solenoid pack.

I was able to get the car back to the house where im staying for the holidays. I either had to keep the car in 2nd, but I was able to rev it high enough while driving in second and then putting it into drive and it barely was able to jump into 4th...

*Edit: Just checked codes and it's showing code P1700

Thankfully I always travel with all of my Mechanics Tools. And I am stuck at my brother's house and he has lots of tools and Jacks and everything else. I've never worked on the transmission before but I'm VERY mechanically inclined...

Can anyone give me some advice please on what could be the culprit?

I do not have the money to purchase a new transmission or a car for that matter! So I am willing to do everything it takes to get this fixed myself. PLEASE HELP!

 

[94Eddie]

I am not an expert at repairing transmissions but I have seen a lot of issues with the 5R55 transmissions discussed here over the years. One bit of advice I'll give you is to not throw parts at it unless you know it will fix your problem. There is a reason why most people opt for a remanufactured transmission. It is because most times the transmission needs to be rebuilt to operate properly. Codes can be misleading as to what the root problem really is. I would hate to see you spend a lot of money on parts and still have the same problem. Also, there are a lot of threads here regarding 5R55 issues. Spend some time reading them because there is a wealth of knowledge to be had from doing this.

 

[Blackhawkxx]

You might also want to talk to a transmission repair shop describing the symptoms. You might get lucky and someone there experienced it before and could tell you the problem. The worst that could happen is they tell you they have to take it apart to diagnose. There are some honest people around willing to help.

 

[tks0879]

I've got a 2007 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0 I believe it has a 5r55s transmission.

Just now as it was shifting into third gear, I heard a clunk or clang and it just completely lost 3rd gear!!!

Ever since I bought the vehicle it's had an issue going into third gear and it would slip a little bit, but if you feathered the gas just right it would go into it no problem. The OBD2 info pointed to a bad solenoid B in the solenoid pack.

I was able to get the car back to the house where im staying for the holidays. I either had to keep the car in 2nd, but I was able to rev it high enough while driving in second and then putting it into drive and it barely was able to jump into 4th...

*Edit: Just checked codes and it's showing code P1700

Thankfully I always travel with all of my Mechanics Tools. And I am stuck at my brother's house and he has lots of tools and Jacks and everything else. I've never worked on the transmission before but I'm VERY mechanically inclined...

Can anyone give me some advice please on what could be the culprit?

I do not have the money to purchase a new transmission or a car for that matter! So I am willing to do everything it takes to get this fixed myself. PLEASE HELP!

Hey there, i do transmissions for a living. I've seen a lot of these throughout the years. The two externally adjustable bands are prone to failure due to the apply servo egging out the aluminum bore of the case with its steel pin. Then the servo seals wear out and internally leak apply pressure and then the band slips under load until its burnt. I fix them with a servo bore reaming kit to make it round again but oversized, then drive a bushing in to resize it. I've seen some modded servos on the market that have grooves machined into them for an oring seal to take up the slop in the egged hole and temporarily fix the internal leak, but ive never used them, it's not really a repair but it could band aid it. The other part is your band is most likely smoked. You could try fixing the servo bore and hopefully adjust the band to spec and it might get you by for a bit. It's the 2nd band from the bell btw. It's not simple to replace that one either. You'd have to remove the center support which means removing the valve body, pump, od drum and planet, od band and first two sensors to get to the center support. And the solenoid code most likely says 3rd gear ratio fault, stuck off or something mechanical in description. Meaning its not likely the solenoid at all. When it doesn't see 3rd engage after applying current to the solenoid, that is the ECU's generic programmed response. You could potentially fix it with just the servo and doing a band adjustment. That's if hopefully the band can still grab the drum when applied. Good luck

 

[tks0879]

Hey there, i do transmissions for a living. I've seen a lot of these throughout the years. The two externally adjustable bands are prone to failure due to the apply servo egging out the aluminum bore of the case with its steel pin. Then the servo seals wear out and internally leak apply pressure and then the band slips under load until its burnt. I fix them with a servo bore reaming kit to make it round again but oversized, then drive a bushing in to resize it. I've seen some modded servos on the market that have grooves machined into them for an oring seal to take up the slop in the egged hole and temporarily fix the internal leak, but ive never used them, it's not really a repair but it could band aid it. The other part is your band is most likely smoked. You could try fixing the servo bore and hopefully adjust the band to spec and it might get you by for a bit. It's the 2nd band from the bell btw. It's not simple to replace that one either. You'd have to remove the center support which means removing the valve body, pump, od drum and planet, od band and first two sensors to get to the center support. And the solenoid code most likely says 3rd gear ratio fault, stuck off or something mechanical in description. Meaning its not likely the solenoid at all. When it doesn't see 3rd engage after applying current to the solenoid, that is the ECU's generic programmed response. You could potentially fix it with just the servo and doing a band adjustment. That's if hopefully the band can still grab the drum when applied. Good luck

Also, this is all provided that you have a solid 1st and 2nd gear and no metal shrapnel in the pan. And i just remembered something, if you replace the servo with the modded one with seals, do both of them. The od and intermediate servos. The od servo bore might be the culprit as far as a leak in the hydraulic apply circuit of the intermediate band that applies for 3rd.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Sounds likely you broke your 2nd gear band. Very common. Drop the pan, and the broken strut will probably be in there.